Category Archives: Facts and Information

The outer shell of what will be the world’s largest Ferris wheel was
erected Monday on the Las Vegas Strip, a locale already notorious for inducing sensory overload.

The top of the High Roller ride, placed across the street from Caesar’s Palace, will soar 55 stories over Sin City. When the new landmark is completed early next year, it will
be adorned with 1,500 LED lights.

“It’s going to be an icon,” Project Director David Codiga told The Associated Press. “It’s going to
be a part of your visit to Las Vegas if you ride it or not. It’s more or
less impossible not to see it if you come here.” READ MORE

If you have ever been to a real world casino, then you will have noticed how much free drinks play a part in keeping players at the tables and slot machines happy.

The fact you can sit down at a casino in Las Vegas, start playing and then have a pleasant member of staff provide you with free drinks certainly helps persuade you to spend the money you’d have otherwise spent on refreshments, going onto your game or slot of choice.

It is fair to say that there is a long-established link between casino gaming in the real world and alcohol, yet there are strict guidelines in place in these establishments that state that under no circumstances should players who are excessively under the influence of alcohol be allowed to gamble.

Yet in terms of online casinos and mobile casinos as found on mobilecasino.com.au, there can be no such mandate. When you are playing at home, perhaps after a night out with friends, there is no bartender there to make the judgement as to whether you are too inebriated to play. You are reliant on your own judgement and if you have had a few too many beers or shorts, then that judgement is likely to be flawed.

While enjoying an evening playing online casino games and enjoying a beer or two is not going to impair your judgement, there is a tipping point for most people when the negative effects of alcohol can wreak havoc with their gaming and as such, it is wise to use alcohol when playing online games, with a degree of caution.

The reasons for this are well documented. Research has found that gamblers who are exposed to even just a moderate amount of alcohol are likely to play for longer and wager more than those who only drink non-alcoholic drinks. Furthermore, it has already been proven that alcohol impairs your thinking and judgement, meaning that if you play while drunk, you are going to play for longer, spend more, but be in no fit state to play properly, or perhaps more worryingly, judge when to stop.

For clear examples of this, you only need to look at the stories of two famous high rollers for whom alcohol and gambling proved a somewhat calamitous combination; former NBA Star Allan Iversen and wealthy Nebraskan philanthropist, Terrance Watanabe.

At the height of his fame Allan Iversen was one of the NBA’s biggest stars, earning over tens of millions in salary alone, plus much more in endorsements and sponsorship deals. Yet, he was also a person who loved to gamble and in particular, loved to gamble and drink.

Over the years, Iversen squandered his fortune at the casino playing games such as Three Card Poker, he would quickly get very drunk while playing, making increasingly higher bets and growing increasingly offensive and angry whilst playing (and losing).

Iversen’s addiction to gambling and drink has cost him his entire fortune and left the player penniless when he and his family should have been set up for life.

Terrance Watanabe’s story is eerily similar, having sold his father’s toy import business for hundreds of millions of dollars, Watanabe began playing at Caesars and the Rio casinos in Vegas, however he alleges that the casinos plied him with drink to the state where he was continually drunk.

Over a sustained two-year period, Watanabe bet over $500 million at the casinos, losing almost all his vast personal fortune and running up a debt of over $77 million at the casinos. In one drunken 24-hour spell in 2007, he lost $5 million!

Of course, the shrewd amongst you will have noticed that in both cases, these high rollers broke casino rules about playing while drunk. However, when you are a whale, many of the casinos rules seem not to apply to you, provided you can pay your bills – a fact that Mr Watanabe blames as being a crucial factor in his losses.

So if you are settling down for an evening playing on your laptop, tablet or smartphone at an online casino and have a case of beers in the fridge, then remember these stories and just enjoy the one or two while you play.

Not only will you be in full control of all your faculties, you will find that you are far less likely to have a physical and financial headache the following morning if you do.

After more than 15 years of planning, the Neon Museum,
a Las Vegas historical institution dedicated to the preservation and
celebration of some of the city’s most distinctive architectural
landmarks, will officially open its doors to the public on Saturday,
Oct. 27.

The Neon Museum, home to a collection of
more than 150 neon signs dating from the 1930s, is the largest
collection of neon signage in the world and a unique record of Las
Vegas’ colorful history. Inside a two-acre outdoor museum space known as
the Neon Boneyard, iconic signs from the city’s most
celebrated properties — including the Moulin Rouge, the Desert Inn, the
Flamingo and the Stardust — are displayed alongside those from various
other bygone restaurants, hotels and businesses.

The museum’s new visitors’ center will
be located on-site in the recently rehabilitated La Concha Motel lobby,
the seashell-shaped, Mid-Century Modern architectural masterpiece
designed and built by architect Paul Revere Williams. Originally
constructed in 1961 on Las Vegas Boulevard South, next to the Riviera
Hotel’s current location, the La Concha lobby was saved from demolition
in 2005 and moved to its current location in downtown Las Vegas in 2006.

According to Bill Marion, chair, Neon
Museum’s Board of Trustees, the museum’s official opening will bring
both a significant cultural and economic impact to the community. “There
is renewed interest in ‘old’ Las Vegas and in the rediscovery of the
historical downtown area. The Neon Museum will play a major role in this
renaissance by bringing new visitors to downtown Las Vegas, by creating
additional opportunities for tourism growth and by adding to the
ongoing economic revitalization of the area,” says Marion.

Tours of the Neon Boneyard, which last
approximately 45 minutes, will be available to the public every half
hour starting at 10 a.m., with the last tour departing at 4 p.m., every
Monday through Saturday. Tickets are $18 for adults; $12 for students
with valid ID, senior citizens, veterans and Nevada residents. Children
ages 6 and under are free. Tour capacity is limited. To ensure
admission on the date and time desired, visitors are advised to purchase
their tickets in advance through the Neon Museum’s Web site, www.NeonMuseum.org. The La Concha Visitors Center
will be open Monday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m.
Both facilities are located at 770 Las Vegas Blvd. North, Las Vegas, NV,
89101.

“Visitors from around the world have
been eagerly anticipating the Neon Museum’s opening for many years, so
it gives us tremendous pleasure to be able to unveil this remarkable and
historic collection to the public,” says Danielle Kelly, executive
director, Neon Museum. “Our goal is to give guests an enhanced
appreciation for Las Vegas’ rich visual culture while celebrating the
beauty and craftsmanship of a distinctly modern art form.”

In addition to the Neon Boneyard and visitors’ center, the Neon Museum has partnered with the City of Las Vegas to create the Las Vegas Signs Project,
in which restored signs from the museum’s collection have been
installed on Las Vegas Boulevard between Sahara and Washington Avenues —
a stretch of roadway that has been designated a National Scenic Byway
by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Currently, seven restored
signs from the 1950s are on display, including the Silver Slipper, the
Bow & Arrow Motel, Binion’s Horseshoe, Society Cleaners, the Lucky
Cuss Hotel, the Normandy Hotel and the Hacienda Horse and Rider.

The museum’s collection also includes nine restored signs installed as public art throughout the downtown area. The Downtown Gallery
begins on Fremont Street at Las Vegas Blvd. and extends west toward
Third Street. Signs in this gallery include Aladdin’s Lamp, The Flame
Restaurant, the Chief Court Motel, Andy Anderson, The Red Barn, Wedding
Information, the Nevada Motel and Dots Flowers. Further south, the 5th
Street Liquor sign, located on Casino Center St. near Garces Ave.,
features a classic example of the type of animation that was frequently
used in neon signage, and the Landmark Hotel sign, located on Paradise
Road near Convention Center Dr., has been placed near the site where the
iconic property stood until its demolition in 2009.

The most expensive New Year’s Eve party ticket in North America is $25,000 for the Magnum Stageside Table at the Fountainblue Hotel in Miami. HOWEVER, Las Vegas has once again topped an annual ranking of the top spots to ring in the New Year.

“Much like last year, a handful of cities were the big winners in drawing New Year’s revelers,” said Priceline Senior Travel Analyst Brian Ek. “Las Vegas made the list six times, including the top spot.

Two of the biggest names in entertainment, Rihanna and Kim Kardashian will both be bringing in the new year in Las Vegas.

Rihanna will be hosting at PURE Nightclub in Caesar’s Palace while Kim Kardashian will host at TAO in the Venetian.

Rihanna is one of the biggest names in pop culture today. She is a top selling musician, a fashionista, trendsetter, and is the official face of tourism for her native country of Barbados.

Kim Kardashian, reality star and celebutante (with many other business endeavors in between) is one of the best party attractions and is no stranger to Vegas.

Fans of either of these celebrities have an extra price to pay to be close to these stars, but wouldn’t it be a worthy investment if you want to try your luck at getting a picture, or at least live in the excitement of partying with these ladies? Um, No!

Some clubs are even offering unlimited bottle service for about $200 a head! How much can you drink, really?!

With a city that has rooms that can range from $29.00 up to and over $29,000, Las Vegas can certainly accomodate everyones budget!

Sernedipity 3 of New York has been one of my favorite haunts for over 20 years! I was so excited to see them open at Caesars Palace . I stopped by recently for their world famous Frrrozen Hot Chocolate, an indulgent concoction blending 20 different kinds of chocolate into an icy, rich cocoa flavor.($8.95)

Next to me, a couple was feasting on the infamous Golden Opulence sundae for $1,000. The restaurant’s golden opulence sundae is covered in 23-carat edible gold leaf and is also rich in flavor thanks to Tahitian vanilla ice cream infused with Madagascar vanilla beans and chunks of rare Chuao chocolate from Venezuela.

They confided in me that yesterday they treated themselves to the $750 cupcake at Palazzo. Made with special chocolate from Venezuela’s Valrhona plantation, Tahitian Gold Vanilla Caviar (the Palazzo calls it the world’s most labor-intensive agricultural crop) and Louis XIII de Remy Martin Cognac, the Decadence D’Or cupcake is the piece de resistance at the Palazzo’s Sweet Surrender cupcake shop.

Money means different things to different people! It can buy you a lot – or just a little. I guess it depends on how much you have to blow.

What else can $750 buy you in Las Vegas?

It can get you One night’s stay at Aria’s 1,465 square-foot penthouse city-view suite with personal concierge and private elevator access.

It can get you Two night’s stay in one of Encore’s 745 square-foot Resort Suites with floor-to-ceiling windows, Wynn signature beds and European linens.

Or it can get you Five night’s stay at Paris . Pick a Deluxe room with a view that takes your breath away – you can choose from pool or Eiffel Tower vistas.

It can get you dinner for 2 at the MGM Grand tasting the creations of world-famous Chef of the century Joel Robuchon. 13-course Menu Degustation for two plus complimentary limousine service to all guest reservations for the restaurant.

A day at the Red Rock Canyon Spa for 2! Just a quick drive from the Strip, more than 35,000 square feet of tranquil, luxurious surroundings invite you to a level of relaxation beyond your wildest dreams. Featuring private treatment suites that appear to float on the water, the Red Rock Spa is a sleek, ultra-modern retreat complete with a state-of-the-art fitness center and salon.

Entertainment and show tickets like Bellagio’s Cirque’s water show “O” can run $50-$100 each. So your $750 might go to 3 pairs of show tickets plus a couple cocktails. Meanwhile, the fountain show outside the Bellagio , is FREE.

How about a helicopter ride for 2 to the Grand Canyon? Maverick Helicopters offers VIP level service and a list of unique air tours for every attraction seeker. Most Grand Canyon tours run about $300-$400 per person.

Maybe you want something more for your money. There are still lots of great bargains and buffets all over town.

Yes, that’s the famous headline from this June 1955 Life Magazine issue. Those words have been spoken again over the last year in Las Vegas.

Every now and again, if you’re around Vegas long enough, you hear about that infamous issue of Life Magazine with a Moulin Rouge showgirl on its cover. The issue is, to many, the “Dewey Defeats Truman” moment for Vegas journalism for the question its headline asked:

“Las Vegas—Is Boom Overextended?”

It’s a punchline to many on the Strip. Sheldon Adelson himself referenced it in an interview in advance of the Palazzo grand opening. The implication was that almost since the dawn of the destination, naysayers have wondered whether the city could continue to sustain its own urge to constantly grow.

In 2005, some builders started getting more cautious. Not Steve Wynn – he started the latest and largest building-boom Vegas has ever seen. More than 80 high-rise, condo, hotel, mixed-use and other major projects in the Las Vegas area are in various stages of planning, development and construction.

True, in 2009, most came to a stand-still. And some have lost their funding. On the city’s world-famous Strip, two huge building sites are eerily quiet. Fontainebleau , a half-finished $3.9bn casino with 3,800 rooms, which intended to offer perks such as an Apple iMac computer in every room, went bust, but is rumoured to be have been purchased and posied to begin construction again.

Echelon , a $4.8bn resort bankrolled by Boyd Gaming, ceased construction in 2008 and I am told, will probably be torn down now, but I could not confirm that. If it was to be built, it would consist of a Shangri-La Hotel, a Delano Hotel, a Mondrian Hotel, and the Echelon Tower.

But I think the worst is over. Ask any taxi driver or hotel staff and they will tell you, the people are coming back more and more.

The Las Vegas Strip is bloated with new projects , boasting the latest in new urban architecture, design and technology. LEED certified “Green” buildings are making an entrance and many world-famous architects (starchitects) are stepping up to the plate.

But HOW MANY ROOMS can one city fill???

Sheldon Adelson is said to be looking at moving the Sands Expo Center elsewhere to make room for 7,000 more rooms, Wynn wants another 5,000 in place of his golf course allegedly, Station Casinos wanted 10,000 more just west of the Strip in its $10 BILLION Viva project (pictured – the project is on hold, but has not been scrapped) and someone—maybe the Plaza folks, maybe not—is going to do something big on the former Frontier property. Who knows. There is always a lot of talk. And right now, everyone is in a holding pattern, but still very postive about the future of Las Vegas and its continued growth.

Which brings us back to where Las Vegas was in 1955 when that seemingly foolish headline and article were written.

How big is TOO BIG?

Who knows.
I personally think, many eyes are watching CityCenter .
Bursting skywards in the middle of America’s gambling capital, seven glittering towers sparkle. The lavish $11bn CityCenter complex has a casino, four hotels, luxury apartments, a fire station and even an on-site power station. 7,000 rooms and apartments. But its timing couldn’t have been worse. Opening their doors in tough economic times.

A joint venture between the casino operator MGM Mirage and Dubai World , the vast CityCenter development in Las Vegas is the biggest privately funded construction project in the US. It is billed as “a city within a city” and sits between the Bellagio’s dancing fountains and the faux Manhattan skyline of New York New York.

Brian McGill, a gaming analyst at stockbroker Janney Montgomery Scott, says “As many as 15,000 new rooms have opened and/or will shortly open on the Las Vegas strip, requiring an extra $3.2bn of annual tourist spending to make any money. There’s too much supply, particularly at the high end,” he says, and he struggles to see a quick return to profit for casinos.

“They believed the good times were going to continue to roll for ever in Las Vegas. They believed there would be no significant downturn and even in a downturn, they didn’t believe a recession would affect the higher end.”

After the Miarge, Wynn went on to develop BELLAGIO, then WYNN, and most recently ENCORE! Everytime outdoing himself! On our most recent trip to Las Vegas, we were able to stay at Encore. And on the TV in the room, you see this video of what appears to be Mr. Wynn, sitting ON TOP of Encore! It must be a blue screen, you say to yourself!

Often it’s the question on the tip of every guest’s tongue from the moment he or she checks in, asked of bellmen and bartenders, front-desk clerks and dining reservationists: “Was Steve really up there?”

The answer—whether you’re speaking of Wynn or Encore, it should be noted—is an unequivocal yes. Steve Wynn did indeed stand, and then later sit, atop the roof of each of his resorts for the filming of their respective commercials. No stuntmen, no stand-ins, no computer-generated trickery was needed or requested; from the moment the idea was conceptualized, Wynn was passionate about performing this “stunt” himself, knowing the “did he or didn’t he?” element would inspire plenty of conversation. And so in the first spot, which debuted months before his eponymous resort opened in April 2005, Steve Wynn stood on the roof and announced, “This is my new hotel, the only one I’ve ever signed my name to,” before the camera, mounted on a helicopter, pulled back to reveal the glistening bronze building.

Given the considerable buzz surrounding the first ad, Wynn knew that Encore’s commercial, which debuted just prior to the resort’s December 2008 opening, had to take the concept to a new level. Wynn enlisted director Brett Ratner, best known for the Rush Hour series and X-Men: The Last Stand, and together the pair conceived the idea of sitting Wynn on the very precipice of Encore, 48 stories and 675 feet in the air, his legs dangling over the edge at the highest point of his now-signature swoop. Ultimately, Wynn knew he had to up the ante for his Encore announcement, and we’re sure you’ll agree that he succeeded!

Steve lit the first fuse in Macau to start the display at exactly 8:08 p.m Friday evening, the number for success and good fortune, illuminating the skies above Encore and its sister resort Wynn Macau in an extravagant 10-minute performance.

Thousands of people stood along the Nam Van Lake and Taipa shoreline to witness the production!

* Las Vegas mega resorts are common today, but the first major resort
built on the Las Vegas Strip was the El Rancho in 1941, with 110 rooms.
The hotel was destroyed by fire in 1960. In 1982 the former Thunderbird Hotel
was rebranded El Rancho Casino, creating some confusion.

* Over 36,000,000 people visited Las Vegas last year.

* Nearly 20,000 conventions are held in Las Vegas annually.

* Elvis Presley performed in 837 consecutive sold out shows at the Las Vegas Hilton Casino.

Allegedly…During the mid to late fifties Elvis’s lover was Nicholas Adamshock,
better known as Nick Adams, who started a movie career as a youngman and later peaked with his television series “THE REBEL.” Nick had been a friend, companion and roommate of James Dean, who also has been mentioned as having been more homosexual than heterosexual. In truth, Dean too was bisexual.

Many men claim they had sex with Dean and only one woman has
admitted she had sex with Jimmy when they lived together in
New York. Liz Sheridan, also known as “Dizzy” Sheridan,
(Seinfield’s mother on TV), wrote a book titled,
“Dizzy & Jimmy: My Life with James Dean: A Love Story “.

* The Riviera was the first high-rise hotel
on the Las Vegas Strip, it was nine stories tall.

* The strip took in $5.6 BILLION last year in gaming revenue
while the downtown area took in $524 MILLION.

* There are approximately 150,000 hotel/motel rooms in Las Vegas.

* Nevada has more mountain ranges than any other state.
The highest point is at the 13,145 foot top of Boundary Peak.

* The average Las Vegas Valley household consumes about 230,000 gallons of water a year.

* The famous Las Vegas Strip is not located in the city of Las Vegas.
The strip actually comes under the jurisdiction of Clark County.

* All-time single concert box-office record occurred in Las Vegas.
The show took place on New Years eve 1999 for the Barbra Streisand concert production, at the MGM Grand, it grossed $14,694,750.00 from 12,477 tickets sold. Previous concert box-office record for a show was $13.4 million when Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti and Jose Carreras
at the Giant Stadium in New York on July 20, 1996.

* In Nevada it is mandatory that video slot machines must pay a minimum of
75% back to the player, this amount is determined over the life of a slot machine.

* There is one operating slot machine in Las Vegas for every 8 residents.

In 1990 SIEGFRIED AND ROY were the highest paid entertainers in the country.
They were hired by Steve Wynn, then manager of The Mirage, for an annual guarantee of $57.5 million.
In 2001, they signed a lifetime contract with the hotel. The duo has appeared in
around 5,750 shows together, mostly at The Mirage.
Their long-running illusion and magic act closed October 3, 2003
(Roy’s birthday) after Roy was severely injured by Montecore,
one of the act’s tigers during a performance.

The BLUE MOON Resort is the first (and as of today)
Las Vegas’ only Hotel exclusively for gay men.

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